As many are aware, recently in Hartford there was a tragic fentanyl overdose at a Hartford middle/secondary school that resulted in the death of a 13-year old and two other 13-year-olds being transported to the hospital after being “exposed” to fentanyl (Police: Teen who overdosed on fentanyl at Hartford school has died). The news reports…
Several years ago I sat in a meeting of an overdose committee and listened to a woman argue that we should have naloxone in all the middle schools. I am a data person and I pointed out that middle schools are not where people are overdosing. If you only have a limited amount of resources,…
They say the omicron wave is past its peak here in Connecticut. The infection rate is declining as are dailey cases. Even wastewater measurements seem to say the wave is receding. While we didn’t have the deaths we saw with the first wave (thank you vaccines), our hospital had record numbers of admitted hospitalized patients…
This past week in Hartford, a 13-year old boy brought some bags of fentanyl to school. He later collapsed and received CPR from a school teacher. EMS arrived and resuscitated the child, who died two days later in the hospital. Bags of fentanyl were recovered from the scene and the boy tested positive for fentanyl. …
The patient has a fever, headache and cough. He can’t smell anything and he can’t taste his food. He feels too short of breath to even get out of his chair. He sits there with his hand over his eyes as if not seeing might make how sick he feels go away. His sister says…
I’m recerting PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support), ACLS (Advanced Life Support) and CPR today in one all-day session. After this, I’ll be good for another two years. If you are in EMS, you can measure your career by how many American Heart Association recerts you have taken. For me this is the 15th time for…
Our ED has seen record volumes of patients in recent weeks, many with COVID. Most of these COVID positive patients recently tested positive, and not feeling well with minor shortness of breath fever or body aches, come to the ED where they are evaluated and sent home. Our in hospital COVID admissions are only 50%…
Overdose on the avenue — a woman in a tattered hoodie and black winter coat lays on the sidewalk next to a streetlight, with bystanders surrounding her. The woman, who looks to be in her forties, was talking to them and then she slowly collapsed against the pole and then to the ground. If I…